Artist Transforms Historic Chapel With Prismatic Light
15th-century Brussels chapel now dances with spectral colors.
1Where Light Art Meets Architecture
Canadian artist Jordan Soderberg Mills has transformed Brussels' 15th-century Boondael Chapel with a prismatic glass installation. The 14 iron-framed windows create rainbow effects that shift with time and season. His quest for 'eternal light' merges Gothic architecture with contemporary optical technology.
2From Renaissance to Modern Technique
Inspired by Jan Van Eyck's glaze techniques, Soderberg Mills developed his concept through laboratory glass and spectrography films. His 'Eternal Light + Spotless Mirror' installation in Ghent evolved into this chapel project, solving the challenge of creating color from colorless glass.
3From Mysticism to Science
Specially designed borosilicate tubes with billions of microscopic apertures reference North Sea lighthouse-bell towers. Collaborating with railway window makers and lab suppliers, the artist achieved a mythic effect. The chapel's new windows blend medieval symbolism with cutting-edge material science.
4Sunlight's Chromatic Dance
Spectrography films from California, typically used to analyze stellar composition, are embedded within the glass. Sunlight passing through creates vibrant spectral bands that change dynamically. The chapel becomes both art venue and giant optical instrument, with colors shifting seasonally.
5Marking Time Through Light
The iron windows function like sundials, offering unique experiences depending on visitation time. Soderberg Mills aimed to capture 'the planet's cosmic dance' through stationary architecture. Visitors witness the Earth's movement translated into ever-changing color projections.
6Reimagining Cultural Heritage
This project demonstrates innovative adaptive reuse of religious architecture. The light intervention respects historical significance while introducing contemporary artistry. As Brussels' new cultural landmark, it proves art's power to transform public spaces and engage communities with science-infused beauty.